Method of and apparatus for making containers



Aug-'25, 1942- J. Y. ALBERTSQN METHOD OF AND APPA RATUS FOR MAKlNGCONTAINERS Filed March is, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lNV A BY ENTOR Hun-124ATTORNEY -25, i J. Y. ALBERTSON' 2 0 METHOD OF AND-APPARATUS FORMXK'INGCONTAINERS "File d fiarchjlfi; 1940 2 sheets-sheet 2 "Waggon PatentedAug. 25, 1942 ltIE'l'HOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR MAKING CONTAINERS JonathanY. Albertson, Philadelphia, Pa., assignor to Stokes and Smith Company,Summerdale, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 13,1940, Serial No. 323,650

12 Claims. (Cl. 933) My invention relates to containers formed fromsheet material or webbing, and particularly to containers for fluids orliquids, reinforced interiorly or exteriorly, to protect their seals orjoints from rupture or other injury, and which so reinforced are capableof withstanding unusual forces or pressures accidentally or otherwiseapplied, either exteriorly or interiorly, to the joints or seals; myinvention relates to methods of and apparatus for producing suchcontainers.

In accordance with my invention, a container is reinforced adjacent atleast one of its seals or joints by an element or strip, of paper orequivalent, which is joined or attached, as by thermo-plastic or otheradhesive, to the container walls in such relation with respect theretothat the reinforcing strip or element bridges, or is continuous orjointless across, a joint or seal, or embraces an edge of a seal orjoint-forming structure; more particularly, the reinforcing strip orelement is disposed within and attached to the inner wall of thecontainer, as in position intervening between the filling in thecontainer and a seal or joint thereof, to bridge the joint or seal; andin accord with a further aspect of my invention, the reinforcing meansis applied to the exterior of the container and embraces a seal orextends across the joint terminating at the edge of the seal structure.

Further and in accordance with one method of producing and soreinforcing containers, the reinforcing strips or elements are foldedlengthwise and attached to the webbing, before formation intocontainers, at suitable intervals lengthwise thereof, or to a liningsheet thereon; more particularly, completion of attachment of areinforcing strip or element is effected after performance of one ormore container-forming operations upon the webbing, and preferablyconcurrently with formation of the container seal or joint it iseventually to protect against rupture or other injury,

My invention further resides in the methods of and apparatus for makingcontainers, hereinafter described and claimed.

For an understanding of my invention, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1, in perspective, illustrates a method of and apparatus forproducing reinforced containers from webbing;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view illustrating apparatus for attachingreinforcing elements to webbing and preferably for severing them fromthe stock from which derived;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view on enlarged scale and partly in section, ofa portion of a container shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4, in perspective, partly in section and in part broken away,illustrates a portion of another form of my container;

vFig. 5, in perspective, partly in section, shows a further modifiedform of my container;

Fig. 6, in perspective, illustrates a wafer or pillow type of containerreinforced in accordance with the invention;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 1-1 of F18. 6.

Referring to Fig. 1, the webbing W, preferably coated with, impregnatedwith, or comprising thermoplastic material, is fed from roll R over thetubular form I with the margins of the web overlapping each other. Themargins are adhesively joined, as by application of heat and pressurewhen the web is of thermoplastic material, such as Pliofllm, orwater-proofed Cellophane, to form a seal S extending logitudinally ofthe tube shaped from the webbing. The seal or seam S may be formed by aheated pressureapplying roll 2 during feed of the webbing. enerally asshown in Zwoyer Patent No. 1,986,422, or by an intermittently actuatedheated plate which presses the webbing while at rest between its feedingmovments against form I, generally as disclosed in Letters Patent2,200,971 granted upon co-pending application Serial No. 259,748,jointly filed March 4, 1939, by myself and another.

When each of the containers to be formed from the webbing W is to bereinforced at both ends, there are applied two folded reinforcingelements or strips T, TI to each increment or length B of the webbing,corresponding with the length required for a container as defined by thelines a: where the webbing eventually is transversely severed.

Each of these elements may be pre-formed and fed from stacks thereof, orfed flat from stacks and then folded; or, and preferably, and as shownin Fig. 1, a pair of them may be cut from their respective strips ofstock D and DI for each feeding movement of the web W.

One face of each of the reinforcing elements T, Tl, of paper or othersuitable material, 11, is coated with any suitable adhesive, preferablyhardened thermoplastic, f, and the other face, eventually presented tothe filling in the container, is or may be uncoated; or the reinforcinelements and the strips from which they are cut may be of two-plymaterial, one, not paper, for

example,'and the other, f, of Pliofilm adhesively attached orthermoplastically bonded thereto.

As the strips D, DI are fed from rolls r, 11, by rolls 3, 3, actuatediri timed relation to actuations of the within described web-feedingstructure, toward and over the webbing W, they are so folded, as by saidrolls 3, 3, that both outer faces of the folded strip arevthose whichare of adhesive or adhesively coated. The two strips are oppositelyfolded so that their lines of fold or creases, d, dlare respectivelypresented toward the corresponding ends of their web increment B, i. e.,toward the portions of increment B destined to constitute seals to beprotected.

While web W and strips D, DI are at rest between their respectivefeeding movements, the cold member or stencil 4, Fig. 2, descends topress the adhesive faces of the leading portions of the strips D, DIagainst the upper face of the web W backed by heated plate 5, preferablycorrugated as indicated, which has substantially concurrently ascendedfrom below web W toward the cold stencil 4, so as to effect adhesiveattachment to the upper face of the web of the under or adhesive facesof the folded strips or elements. Aforesaid portions of strips D, DIsubstantially concurrently with their aforesaid adhesive attachment toweb W are severed to constitute elements T, TI; for example, andpreferably, one edge 6 of the cold stencil 4 co-acts with a blade Idisposed above the webbing W' and over which strips D, DI are fed asaforesaid, to shear or sever a pair of reinforcing element T, TI, fromtheir respective strips D, DI during each descent of the cold stencil 4toward web W.

After a pair of reinforcing elements T, TI has been so attached to thewebbing W, the latter is fed toward form I over idler roll 1'2 andmember M to extent corresponding with th length B of another container,and strips D, DI are again fed transversely over web W, each to anextent corresponding with th length of reinforcing elements T, TI I Thefeed of web W may be effected, as in general accord with aforesaidZwoyer patent, by a pair of gripper members 8, 8 which at definiteintervals of time are moved toward each other to clamp and flatten thetube of webbing beyond the lower end of form I; thereupon members 8,. 8are moved downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 1, to extent-corresponding with the length B of a container.

The web-engaging members 8, 8 carry, or themselves comprise, pairs ofheat sealing members 8 and 9A which concurrently form neighboring sealsE, El, destined to become, respectively, the upper and lower containerseals; the upper seal becomes the bottom seal EI 01 a container C to befilled, and the lower seal becomes the upper seal E of a previouslyfilled container, all as more fully described in aforesaid LettersPatent 2,200,971.

As the web is shaped into a tube upon hollow form I, each of theelements T, TI extends substantially half way around the inner peripheryof the tube, Fig, 1, with its unapplied coated face f presented towardthe remainderof the periphery for attachment thereto as hereinafterdescribed.

The web-engaging members 8, 8 carry, or com- 1 prise, -the pairs of heatand pressure applying sealing members I0, I8 and IDA, IDA; the lowersealing members IIIA, IIIA engage and flatten that region of the tube ofwebbing W within effect bonding of the coated face of the reinforcingelement TI with the internal faces of the flattened walls of tube ofwebbing immediately below the seal E, concurrently formed by tools 9,9A. Similarly, and concurrently, the sealing members III, III effectattachment of the coated or prepared face of a reinforcing element Twith the internal faces of the flattened walls of the next lowercontainer immediately above its lower seal EI concurrently formed bytools 9A, 9A.

Between successive feeding movements of the vertically reciprocablegrippers 8, 8, filling is introduced into the containers through thepassage within form I; the particular type of container herein disclosedis particularly suited for liquids, including such as oils, introducedinto it preferably while its lower end is clamped by the sealingelements I0, I0. Upon separation from each other of the members 8, 8,the filling within the container, particularly when a liquid, distendsthe bottom of the container so that the lower reinforcing element Tassumes the position shown in Fig. 3, in which it bridges the jointbetween the container walls sealed to each other to constitute seal EI,so protecting the joint or seal against pressure by the filling dueeither to pressure upon the exterior of container 0 or to internalpressure by the filling, due, for example, to inertia of the filling, aswhen the filled container is dropped or otherwise subjected to accident.

The reinforced containers so formed and filled are thereafter insuccession detached from the webbing, as by the knives II, II, actuatedin timed relation to aforesaid rolls 3, 3 and members 4, 5, 6, I and 8,8. Knives II, II transversely sever the webbing between the bottom sealEl of one container and the top seal E of the next previously formedcontainer. The seals EI and E may be formed as a single wide seal,transversely severed by the knives I I, I I to detach the lowermostcontainer from the webbing; in such case, each pair of tools 9, 9A isreplaced by a single wide tool.

The relation of reinforcement T to the container is shown in Fig. 3; theouter face or ply f is adhesively attached to the inner facesof bothside walls G, GI of the container; the strip T, or its outer ply p,forms a container partition, bottom, cap or trough, with or on which thefilling contacts or is supported, and which is continuous across thejoint or inner edge or limit of the seal E. The relations of the topreinforcwhich a reinforcing element TI is disposed so to ing element TIto the top seal E and walls G, GI of the container are the same.

When containers, not so reinforced, are dropped or pressed, as duringhandling or transport, the filling, particularly when liquid, tends tospread apart the walls of the seal from their inner limits or edgesoutwardly, and to break the container walls adjacent those edgesgenerally along line 72. Both of these tendencies are overcome by thereinforcing elements T and TI; the continuity of the strips T and TIacross the inner edges or exposed joints of the seals E and EIrespectively, prevents them from being forced open by the Weight of theliquid, or other filling, and the attachment of the sides of the stripsT, TI to the webbing adjacent the seals there reinforces the webmaterial where it is geakest because of aforesaid heat-sealing opera-The containers C are preferably formed, sealed, filled and detached bythe continuous method described; however, they may be formed fromindividual sheets each corresponding with increment B of web W, Fig. 1.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4, the container Cl is of multi-wallconstruction; preferably, each of the inner seals, of which HI isexemplary, is within a related outer seal, of which seal El isexemplary. The inner and outer seals are preferably formed by attachmentto each other of associated areas of the same sheet material; forexample, the seal El is formed by applying heat and pressure to atubular section formed from web or sheet W and the seal HI is formed byapplying heat and pressure to overlying areas of sheet L forming theinner container wall or lining. Multi-wall containers of this type may,as described and claimed in Letters Patent 2,257,823 to Stokes, beformed from a continuous web W to which is applied, at suitableintervals, a series of sheets L, which are shaped concurrently with thewebbing to form a series of nested tubular sections which aretransversely sealed to form a succession of multi-wall or linedcontainers.

To form the containers shown in Fig. 4, by modification of the methodshown in the aforesaid Stokes patent, there is applied to each of thesuccessive sheets L, generally as shown in Fig. 1 hereof, a pair ofreinforcing elements T, Tl to strengthen the ends of the containers, asin Fig. 3, to prevent them from opening or breaking at the seals whenaccidentally dropped or unduly pressed.

As shown in Fig. 4, the reinforcing element T of container Cl bridgesthe inner edge of the joint of the inner seal HI, and is attached, onboth sides of the seal HI, to the inner faces of the opposite sides G2,G3 of the inner container wall or lining L.

The inner container L may be of paper, Cellophane, Pliofilm, or anysuitable sheet material, preferably coated with, impregnated with, orcomprising thermoplastic material, and the outer container of webbing Wmay be of the same or any suitable different material, but, aspreviouslystated, is preferably capable of heat-sealing,

The inner container L may be entirely free of attachment to the outercontainer, or may be in part, or wholly, joined thereto.

The seal SI extending longitudinally of the inner container may beformed by adhesively joining overlapping margins of the sheet materialL, and the seam so formed may underlie, or

be staggered with respect to, the longitudinal seam S of the outercontainer.

The container C2. Fig. 5, is strengthened adjacent its seals E, El bythe externally applied reinforcing elements T2 and T3 which embrace theseals; there may be also provided the internal reinforcing elements Tand TI, Figs. 1 and 3. The reinforcing element T2 is adhesively appliedto one face of the container C2 adjacent its upper seal E, extendsacross or embraces the seal over or at its upper exterior edge, and thenextends downwardly across the other face of the seal into adhesiveattachment with the opposite face of the container.

Similarly, the reinforcing element T3 is adhesively applied to one faceof container C2 adjacent the seal El and extends downwardly across oneface of the seal and under its outer edge, and thence, upwardly againstthe other face of the seal into adhesive engagement with the other sideof the container.

Each of the reinforcing elements T2, T3 may be single or multi-ply; whenof single ply, the

elements, with adhesive freshly applied to their inner faces, arebrought into contact with the outside of the container and held thereuntil the adhesive has sufficiently set; preferably, these reinforcingelements are faced with hardened thermoplastic, previously appliedeither as a coating, or as a layer of Pliofllm, or the like. In thelatter case, the reinforcing elements are simply folded over the ends ofthe container, and heat and pressure applied to bond them to the sidesand ends of the container. v

In brief, each of the elements, T2, T3, is preferably, throughout itslength and width, adhesively attached, preferably thermoplastically,over the sealed ends of container C2.

Th container C2 may be formed generally in accordance with the method ofFig. 1, and one or both of the reinforcing elements T2 and T3 appliedafter detachment of the container from the webbing; or if inner elementsT, Tl are to be omitted, then container C2 is formed as in aforesaidZwoyer patent, and elements T2, T3 are thereafter applied.

In this modification, as in Figs. 3 and 4, the sheet materialconstituting container C2 is reinforced adjacent the edges of each ofthe seals E, El along the lines h, but in Fig. 5, the reinforcingelements do not, unlike Figs. 3 and 4, effectively prevent opening ofthe seals E, El along their edges inside the container.

The container C3, Figs. 6 and '7, is formed from two sheets W2, W3,preferably of, or comprising, thermoplastic material, joined at theiredges to provide the four fin-type, or exteriorly projecting, seals E,El, E2, and E3. The edges inside the container of the two end seals E,El are bridged by reinforcing elements Ti and T respectively, so that across-section of each end of this container is identical with that ofthe modification shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The edge inside the containerof each of the seals E2 and E3 is similarly bridged by reinforcingelements TI and T5, Fig. 7, each having the same relation to itsassociated seal as the reinforcing element T or Tl has to its associatedseal E or El.

The adhesively coated face of each of the four reinforcing elementsTl-T4, is attached to the inner face of the container wall adjacent toand on opposite sides of the edge of a seal across which the reinforcingelement is continuous. Thus the inner edges of all seals of thecontainer are protected against rupture or opening by pressure appliedto or by the filling of the container, and, as in all modificationspreviously described,

the container is reinforced at and adjacent the similar to thatdisclosed in Fig. 5 of the aforesaid Stokes patent, from two continuouswebs.

WhatI claim is:

1. A method of making a container which comprises shaping sheet materialand attaching margins thereof to each other to form a tube, flatteningthe tube at least at one end and adhesively attaching to each otheropposite sides of the flattened end to form a seal, and attaching tosaid sheet material a reinforcing strip which is continuous across anedge of said seal and is adhesively attached to areas of said sheetmaterial comprised in opposite sides of the container and contiguous tobut exclusive of areas thereof joined 5 to form said seal.

2. A method of forming a, container which comprises folding areinforcing element and adhesively attaching one face thereof to sheetmaterial, shaping and effecting adhesive attachment of margins of saidsheet material to form a tube partially internally bounded by saidreinforcing element, flattening said tube to effect attachment ofanother face of said reinforcing element to the sheet material tocomplete its attachment to the internal periphery of said tube, andtransversely sealing said tube immediately adjacent the fold of saidelement.

3. A method of making containers which comprises shaping a web to form atube, applying to the web, before shaping thereof, a series of foldedreinforcing elements, transversely sealing the tube adjacent the foldededges of said elements to form containers, and, substantiallyconcurrently with formation of each transverse seal, effecting adhesiveattachment of one of said reinforcing elements to the inner faces ofopposite walls of the flattened tube substantially throughout the lengthof the inner boundary of the seal,

' 4. A method of forming containers which comprises shaping web materialto form a tube, attaching to the webbing, before shaping thereof, pairsof folded reinforcing elements spaced longitudinally of the web,transversely flattening and sealing the tube between each pair of saidfolded reinforcing elements to form and seal the adjacent ends ofsuccessive containers, and substantially concurrently effectingattachment of the pair of elements to the inner faces of-walls of theflattened tube to reinforce said ends of said successive containersadjacent their said sealed ends and to bridge the inner boundary of eachof said seals.

5. Apparatus for making containers comprising means for feeding a web,mechanism for applying folded reinforcing elements at intervals alongthe web, a form over which the web is fed by said means to shape it intoa tube having said elements internally thereof, and means for flatteningthe tube and efiecting attachment of each of said folded elements to theinner faces of sides of the flattened tube.

6. Apparatus for making containers comprising means for feeding a web,mechanism for applying folded reinforcing elements transversely of theweb at intervals lengthwise thereof, a

form over which the web is fed bysaid means to shape it into a tubehaving said elements internally thereof, means for transverselyflattening and sealing the tube adjacent each of said elements, andmeans for effecting attachment of 3 each of said folded elements to theinner faces of sides of the flattened tube.

7. Apparatus for making containers comprising means for feeding a web,mechanism for applying spaced pairs of reinforcing elements verselyflattening and sealing the tube between said elements of each pair, andfor substantially :concurrently effecting their attachment to the innerfaces of sides of the flattened tube.

transversely of the web at intervals lengthwise 1 thereof, a form overwhich the web is fed by said 8. Apparatus for making containerscomprising means for feeding a web, mechanism for applying pairs ofreinforcing elements transversely of the web at intervals lengthwisethere of, a form over which the web is fed by said means to shape itinto a tube having said elements internally thereof, means. fortransversely flattening and sealing the tube between the elements ofeach pair, and for substantially concurrently effecting their attachmentto the irmer faces of sides of the flattened tube, and means fortransversely severing the webbing between said elements of each pair.

9. Apparatus for making containers comprising means operatingintermittently to feed a web, means operating in timed relation theretoto feed strip material and for concurrently folding and cutting saidstrip material to form folded reinforcing elements and for applying them.transversely of the web at intervals lengthwise there-' of, a form overwhich the web is fed by said web-feeding means to shape it into a tubehaving said reinforcing elements internally thereof, means operating intimed relation to said web'- feeding means for flattening andtransversely sealing the tube adjacent each of said folded reinforcingelements, and means for effecting attachment of each of said elements tothe inner faces of the sides of the flattened tube.

10. Apparatus for making containers comprising means operatingintermittently to feed a web, mechanism operating in timed relationthereto to apply reinforcing elements at intervals along the web, a formover which the web is fed by said means to shape it into a tube havingsaid elements internally thereof, and means operating in timed relationto said web-feeding means for transversely flattening and sealing thetube between a pair of said elements and for effecting attachment of atleast one of said elements to the inner faces of opposite sides of thetube to bridge a boundary of the flattened, sealed portion of the tube.

11. Apparatus for making containers comprising means for feeding a webof thermoplastic material, mechanism for applying folded reinforcingelements transversely of the web at intervals lengthwise thereof and foreffecting their thermoplastic attachment thereto, a form over which theweb fed by said means is shaped into a tube having said reinforcingelements internally thereof, and heat-sealing means for transverselysealing the tubeadjacent each of said reinforcing elements and forefiecting their thermoplastic attachment to the inner faces of JONATHANY. ALBERTSON.

